Bayer and Trendlines establish Ag Innovation Fund

Misgav, Israel - Monheim, Germany, April 18, 2016 – Bayer and Trendlines, an Israeli innovation commercialization company, announced today a partnership to invest in agricultural technologies through the establishment of the Bayer Trendlines Ag Innovation Fund. The flexible five-year partnership agreement includes a $10 million investment from Bayer, which will be managed by Trendlines. The partnership couples Bayer’s decades of experience in agricultural science, innovation and regulatory affairs with Trendlines’ specialization in investing in cutting-edge, early-stage medical and agricultural technologies.

“Israel is a hotspot of innovation and Trendlines offers the right combination of regional know-how and technical experience to be a compelling partner for us,” said Adrian Percy, Head of Research & Development at Bayer’s division Crop Science. “The agricultural market is ripe for groundbreaking innovation and Trendlines, with its focus on developing startups and new technologies beyond a one-time investment, shares our commitment to supporting productive and sustainable agriculture.”

Extreme climatic conditions, weed resistance and pest pressure are just some of the challenges facing agriculture today. At the same time, farmers are under pressure to produce sufficient, safe and healthy food in a sustainable manner. Through the Ag Innovation Fund, Trendlines and Bayer aim to identify cutting-edge solutions to these challenges and thereby contribute to shaping the future of agriculture.

“We are thrilled at the establishment of the Fund and the future partnership with Bayer. It provides our companies with the professional and financial backing that they need for development and business growth and is another step in our ongoing work to build a burgeoning Israeli agtech ecosystem. The Fund provides a great opportunity for Israeli agtech entrepreneurs to fund their revolutionary ideas,” remarked Dr. Nitza Kardish, CEO of Trendlines Agtech.

Bayer’s aim is to help shape the future of the agricultural industry with innovative offerings that increase its productivity and enable the production of sufficient food, animal feed, fiber and renewable raw materials for a growing world population. The company invests heavily in research and development in areas such as improved traits, seed technology, seed breeding, agrochemicals and biologicals. Collaborating with outside partners offers insights into new areas of innovation and visibility into cutting-edge technologies.

Trendlines partners with leading investors and innovators to identify and develop promising early-stage ideas for the most pressing of human problems. The company is committed to seeking out technologies, concepts and startups in their infancy and incubating them into thriving companies.

Bayer: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2014, the Group employed around 119,000 people and had sales of EUR 42.2 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.5 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 3.6 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

The Trendlines Group

The Trendlines Group, listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX:42T), is an innovation commercialization company that invents, discovers, invests in, and incubates innovation-based medical and agricultural technologies to fulfill its mission to improve the human condition. As intensely hands-on investors, Trendlines is involved in all aspects of its portfolio companies from technology development to business building.

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